News

EU abolishes mobile roaming fees.

The European Parliament voted
overwhelmingly in favour of proposals to scrap mobile roaming fees across Europe yesterday.

Under the new rules, voted in
yesterday, making a call or sending an email from a mobile phone whilst abroad
in Europe will cost the same as it does in the UK from 15 December 2015.

“This is what the EU is all
about – getting rid of barriers to make life easier and less expensive,” said
European Commissioner for digital agenda Neelie Kroes.

UK
mobile operators believe that the decision will increase the cost of monthly mobile
plans if they are forced to pass on roaming costs.“Unless lower charges for roaming are
supported by lower wholesale prices, network operators will be forced to charge
consumers more to cover their overall costs”.

The European Parliament
has also voted to restrict European internet service providers’ ability to
charge online services, like Netflix or YouTube, for faster network access.